Once making my Top 5 Worst Mountain Bike Trails in Northeast Oregon list, I might be upgrading this trail off of the list because it is much better than I remembered. It is a great running trail and okay mountain bike trail if you can avoid the thorns. If it were well-maintained it has a lot of promise. It is a particularly good subtle descent down the creek in a wider-than-most canyon. I think the canyon is unusually wide because the Wallowa River used to flow down it and probably had a good surge during the glacier melts.
Going down Swamp Creek Trail 1678 is a slightly different ballgame. ATVs use the trail occasionally and have departed the traditional singletrack in places creating a new route. I doubt much would exist of this trail if it weren't for the ATV use. Sometimes you'll seem like you are on singletrack and sometimes two-track but at least you can usually see the ATV route as you go. It is often confusing because there are cow trails and sometimes the old trail seems to diverge from the new, but if you stay in the east side of the creek the entire time, you'll be fine. The only time it should cross is at the beginning cow camp at the southern end, near the Chico Trail.
Important note on hawthorn trees: They have big spikes and there are a lot of them that you need to watch for anytime you are around water. They may scratch your skin, but more importantly if you run over a branch they will puncture deeply into your tire. If you pull them out, you might lose all your Stan's so you probably should leave them in until your tire is done. Then pull them all out, put a tube in, and make sure you have extra tubes and a patch kit with you.
Trial Notes
- 0.0 mi Starting at the Chico Trail junction. Go through some corrals at the camp and cross the creek. There is a trail sign marking the junction with Chico Trail, which is right before another ford of Swamp Creek.
- 4.4 On the right (east) is a junction with the Driveway Saddle Trail up to Miller Ridge. This trail needn't concern you on a bike.
- 5.2 Intersection at Davis Creek to the southwest. Arrives at Joseph Creek at a cabin on private land that says "No Trespassing". It will be no fun on a bike. To complete the loop presented here, you will ford Davis Creek and, after a few hundred yards, ford Swamp Creek to pick up the trail going up the east side of Swamp Creek.
- 8.5 Arrives at Joseph Creek at a cabin on private land that says "No Trespassing". It will be no fun on a bike. To complete the loop presented here, you will ford Davis Creek and, after a few hundred yards, ford Swamp Creek to pick up the trail going up the east side of Swamp Creek
